R'hllor (Religion)
R'hllor is a prominent monotheistic religion in Nord America, but has only a few followers in Europe where they are heavily concentrated in the Westros, and in Estalia. The God of R'hllor is named R'hllor but he is also called the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, and the God of Flame and Shadow. His symbol is a fiery heart. The followers of R'hllor worship him as the god of light, heat, and life. His enemy is the "great other", whose name is not spoken, the god of darkness, cold, and death. R'hllor is the dominent religion of very few areas in Europe and elsewhere but it is truly the dominent religion of many of the humans of Nord America. In Europe there are two strongpoints in the form of Estalia, and the northern part of the Riverlands. R'hllor and the great other wage an eternal war over the fate of the world. Followers of R'hllor believe that Azor Ahai, the messianic figure prophesized to return in ancient books of Asshai, will tip the balance of this war. Azor Ahai is also called the Prince that was Promised, the Warrior of Light, and the Son of Fire. Prophecy holds that he will wield a flaming sword called Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and raise dragons of stone. Clergy of the R'hllor religion are called red priests'',' due to the loose, crimson robes they wear. In the nations of R'hllor, children are often given to temples of R'hllor to be raised into the priesthood. Every evening, red priests light fires and sing prayers at their temples, asking R'hllor to bring back the dawn. "The night is dark and full of terrors", is a common phrase in prayers to R'hllor. Priests believe that R'hllor will occasionally answer his followers' prayers by granting magical favors. They often gaze into flames in an effort to see visions of the future. Trials by combat are an accepted practice in the R'hllor faith; prayers before the combat ask R'hllor to give strength to the just party. Beliefs The religion of the Lord of Light is centered on belief in the existence of a single, all-powerful god. R'hllor is the god of fire, which provides light, heat, and life, and struggles against darkness, cold, and death, represented by an opposing deity, the Great Other. Due to the dualistic worldview of this religion, its more fanatical followers believe the Lord of Light is the "one true god", and all other gods from other religions - The Christian Church, the Cult of Sigmar, Dragonoph, etc. - are demons and false idols that must be cast down and burned. The Lord of Light's worship involves the idolization of fire and light. Shadows are important too, as they are "created by light". The religion is very focused on prophecy, and on ecstatic visions that are received through communion with the flames. Melisandre claims to receive visions about the future from the Lord of Light by staring into fires. Unlike the Christian Church or Dragonoph, the faith of the Lord of Light is stated to possess several holy texts, similar to the Bible in terms of importance to the religion. While the other religions of whom usually believe that hell is a place those who are evil or imoral go to the believers in the Lord of Light religion believe that the current world that everyone lives in now is considered to be "hell", the only hell, but the Lord of Light will save his faithful adherents from this darkness. The followers of the Lord of Light also believe in the coming of a chosen warrior to combat the coming darkness, The Prince That Was Promised, who is prophesied to be reborn "amidst smoke and salt" and wield the sword Lightbringer. Rituals Most of the worship practices of the Lord of Light involve fire. This can range from simple bonfires, to some extreme cases advocating the sacrifice of nonbelievers by immolation. The symbol of the Lord of Light is a fiery heart. The religion is led by the "Red Priests", though both men and women can join the priesthood. The common prayer of the followers of the Lord of Light uses the line "The night is dark and full of terrors", followed by the response line, "Lord, cast your light upon us." When interacting with each other, Red Priests tend to speak High Nordic and greet each other with the traditional Nordic exchange Valar morghulis/Valar dohaeris, although this probably has more to do with the cultural background of most Red Priests than the religion itself. In temples of the Lord of Light, Red Priests conduct bonfires and sing prayers each night, beseeching the Lord of Light to bring back the dawn. Every evening, red priests light fires and sing prayers at their temples, asking R'hllor to bring back the dawn. Followers often gaze into flames in an effort to receive visions of the future. It is believed that R'hllor will occasionally answer his prayers of his followers by granting visions and abilities such as raising the dead.Citation needed Some rites preformed by the red priests include sacrificial immolation. Trials by combat are an accepted practice in the R'hllor faith; prayers before the combat ask R'hllor to give strength to the just party. "The night is dark and full of terrors", is a common phrase in prayers to R'hllor, and it is this saying that is perhaps the most known thing about the religion as a whole. Priests of R'hllor Clergy of the R'hllor religion are called "Red Priests", due to the loose, crimson robes they wear. Red priests may be male or female. In Nord America, they are a common sight, where the faith of R'hllor's influence is more widespread and children are sometimes given to temples of R'hllor to be raised into the priesthood. The temples, often called "red temples", also buy children as slaves who are known as Slaves of R'hllor and raise them as priests, temple prostitutes, or warriors. The warriors that protect the greater temples are called the Fiery Hand. Noteable Priests of R'hllor Priestess of R'hllor A segment of the Priests of R'hllor is the Priestess of R'hllor of which are made up of Magi sensitive commoner girls brought into the Temple of R'hllor and raised to eventually be slave like servents to lords who worship R'hllor. The loyalty of these Priestess of R'hllor is of such impressive reputation that lords will pay hefty prices in order to get a Priestess of R'hllor. Among the Priestess of the R'hllor there is a also a system that allows lords to purchase their own daughters for service, but since the price is so heavy this means that basically only the nobility can regain their children once they have become a Priestess of R'hllor. Noteable Priestess of R'hllor Noteable Orders of R'hllor Red Temple of the Riverlands Main Article : Red Temple of the Riverlands Noteable Followers R'hllor is the dominent religion of very few areas in Europe and elsewhere but it is truly the dominent religion of many of the humans of Nord America. In Europe there are two strongpoints in the form of Estalia, and the northern part of the Riverlands. Kingdoms of R'hllor Houses of R'hllor House Tully See Also : House Tully '''House Tully is a very large Brannish House and the principal house of the Riverlands in Westeros, while also standing as the Arch House of the Riverlands for the Kingdom of Lucerne. Their seat is Riverrun, and the keep of Riverrun stands where the Tumblestone River meets the Red Fork of the Trident, and from there House Tully watches over its lands. The riverlords joined the Labeouf's against Harren the Black, and were given dominion over the Trident in return. They are an old line dating back to the Age of Heroes as Lords of Riverrun but were never kings. House Tully has the words, "Famil. Duty. Honor." and this stands as the defining nature of the family as their own come first then their duty, and finally honor. House Tully also has a sigil and their sigil is a silver trout leaping on a blue and red striped field House Tully was once Atlantian in origin but throughout the generations they have become a mixture of Atlantian and Brannish blood due to intermarriages. Along with this they along with basically the entire Riverlands are followers of R'hllor which is a religion that entered Europe through a small tribe of humans from Nord America. Under control of the Riverlands House Tully has been a major proponent of R'hllor, and have attempted to make sure that even as a member of the Kingdom of Lucerne they do not allow the region's religion to change. House Tully fist became formed during the rise of the Empire of Numeron where they became a dominent fixture in the Riverlands. During the Downfall of the Numeron they were devestated as the Spawn of Sauron spent a heavy amount of time in Westros, and the riverlands was hit quite badly. With the fall of the Empire of Numeron the Riverlands became a land of constant leadership changes. The Riverlands became dominated by several houses in the Mudds, Fishers, Blackwoods, Brackens, and many others of the First Men besides. During the early days of this time the immigration of the smallest German brach in the Brann sparked an invasion which killed the last of the Mudds. In time, Harren the Black, last of the Iron Kings, would come to inherit the riverlands. House Tully was taken over in terms of lordship by the Kingdom Of Lucerne following months of diplomacy between the two and the conquest of Fairmarket by the Lucernians. One of the main pieces of negotiation in order to allow the Lucernians an easy conquest was that the lands dominated by House Tully were never subject to the disciples of Dragonoph, while the lands of southern Riverlands and those outside of their sphere would be subject to Dragonoph. Other Houses of R'hllor Desciples of R'hllor Category:Religion Category:R'hllor